Implicit Bias and Immigration Courts

Authors

Fatma E. Marouf, Texas A&M University School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-2011

Journal Title

New England Law Review

ISSN

0028-4823

Abstract

This Article highlights the importance of implicit bias in immigration adjudication. After tracing the evolution of prejudice in our immigration laws from explicit "old-fashioned" prejudice to more subtle forms of "modem" and "aversive" prejudice, the Article argues that the specific conditions under which immigration judges decide cases render them especially prone to the influence of implicit bias. Specifically, it examines how factors such as immigration judges' lack of independence, limited opportunity for deliberate thinking, low motivation, and the low risk of judicial review all allow implicit bias to drive decision-making. The Article then recommends certain reforms, both simple and complex, to help reduce such bias in immigration adjudication.

First Page

417

Last Page

448

Volume Number

45

Issue Number

2

Publisher

New England School of Law

Recommended Citation

Fatma E. Marouf, Implicit Bias and Immigration Courts, 45 New Eng. L. Rev. 417 (2011).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar/747